New court records show Chase Matthew band member accused of abusing 12-year-old
Updated on May 11 at 2:34 pm
Owensboro police officers mentioned Tuesday they deliberately waited till Carsen Richards exited the stage at BBQ and Barrels earlier than arresting him Saturday night time because of issues he might have been armed and to scale back the chance of a violent encounter in a crowded surroundings.
In an announcement supplied to the Owensboro Times, Owensboro Police Department spokesperson Mark Hammonds mentioned Winchester Police contacted OPD on May 5 concerning Richards, 22, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, who was needed on prison fees in Clark County.
According to Hammonds, Winchester detectives knowledgeable OPD that Richards was related to a band scheduled to carry out at BBQ and Barrels on May 9 and that he was identified to have entry to a number of firearms and was “frequently armed.”
Hammonds informed OPD’s Criminal Investigations Division then started growing an operations plan within the occasion Richards was not arrested earlier than arriving in Owensboro.
“The focus of the plan was to positively identify Richards as the individual wanted by Winchester PD, and after identification, reduce the likelihood of a violent armed encounter in a crowded environment,” Hammonds mentioned.
According to Hammonds, investigators visually confirmed Richards’ id whereas he was acting on the Owensboro Convention Center garden as half of Chase Matthew’s touring band.
Hammonds mentioned officers arrested Richards at roughly 9:40 pm Saturday.
“A team of officers took Richards into custody shortly after he exited the stage, before he could reach a tour bus and away from the main crowd,” Hammonds mentioned. “Richards was confirmed not to be armed at the time of his arrest.”
Hammonds additionally mentioned that metropolis particular occasions workers and the BBQ and Barrels organizers weren’t knowledgeable upfront of the deliberate arrest.
“As with any law enforcement operation, confidentiality is of the utmost importance and therefore the City of Owensboro’s Special Events staff and the BBQ and Barrels organizers were not notified of the impending arrest of Richards,” Hammonds mentioned.
Richards was later booked into the Daviess County Detention Center at 10:34 pm Saturday, in keeping with detention middle records.
Richards faces two counts of second-degree sodomy and two counts of incest involving an individual underneath 18 by an individual three or extra years older, in keeping with records filed in Clark District Court.
According to a prison grievance filed by Winchester Police Department Detective Bob Mott, the allegations stem from incidents alleged to have occurred in December 2020 and December 2022 in Clark County.
Original Story
New court records allege that Carsen Richards, a touring band member for nation artist Chase Matthew, sexually abused an autistic baby starting when the kid was 12 years previous. Richards was arrested in Owensboro following Saturday night’s BBQ & Barrels concert.
Richards, 22, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, faces two counts of second-degree sodomy and two counts of incest involving an individual underneath 18 by an individual three or extra years older, in keeping with records filed in Clark District Court. He was arrested by the Owensboro Police Department shortly after acting on the Owensboro Convention Center garden through the downtown competition. According to Richards’ Instagram profile, he serves as bassist and music director for Chase Matthew.
According to a prison grievance filed by Winchester Police Department Detective Bob Mott, the fees stem from incidents alleged to have occurred in December 2020 and December 2022 in Clark County.
The grievance alleged the sufferer’s mom reported the accusations to Winchester Police on Nov. 24, 2025, and {that a} baby advocacy middle interview came about in Lexington on Dec. 3, 2025.
According to the grievance, the alleged sufferer reported two incidents involving Richards, together with one when the alleged sufferer was 12 years previous in 2020 and one other when the alleged sufferer was 14 years previous in 2022.
The grievance additionally acknowledged the alleged sufferer “has been diagnosed as Autistic Level 1 by Vanderbilt University Hospital.”
According to the grievance, the alleged sufferer’s mom confronted Richards outdoors his condominium in Hendersonville on Feb. 12, 2026. The grievance alleged Richards responded, “There is nothing more I have regretted in my life,” and “I made an awful mistake.”
A warrant of arrest signed May 5 by Judge E. Neal ordered Richards to be arrested and introduced earlier than Clark County District Court.
According to a uniform quotation filed in Clark County District Court, Richards was arrested by the Owensboro Police Department at 9:40 pm Saturday on an execution of a grievance warrant for Clark County District Court. The quotation acknowledged the warrant was tied to fees of second-degree sodomy and incest involving an individual lower than 18 years previous by an individual three or extra years older.
Daviess County Detention Center records confirmed Richards was booked into the Daviess County Detention Center at 10:34 pm Saturday.
Court records confirmed Richards was being held on a $75,000 money bond and ordered to don’t have any contact with the alleged sufferer.
The quotation famous the Owensboro officer serving the warrant “has no further knowledge of this case,” indicating the arrest stemmed from an outdoor company investigation.
Owensboro Times has reached out to the Owensboro Police Department and Owensboro metropolis officers in search of further data concerning the timeline of the arrest, together with when native authorities grew to become conscious of the warrant and whether or not officers linked to the occasion had advance discover.
